Valley of Secrets
by Hazelle More
Summary: After a mortal delivers a letter of apology and explanations, Hazel Levesque's reunion with Leo Valdez quickly turns into a quest in search for the missing Frank Zhang, and along the way an abominable amount of confessions and declarations are said. Like why Leo didn't want to admit the root of his sickness. /For The Jackson Legacy by notyourleo.
1. Part One

**Rating: **T  
**Characters/Pairings: **Hazel, Leo; Hazel/Frank, Leo/TBA  
**Author's Notes: **Recursive fanfiction for _The Jackson Legacy_ by notyourleo.  
**Warnings: **None.  
**Disclaimer: **Camp Half-Blood series belong to Rick Riordan, _The Jackson Legacy_ belongs to notyourleo.

* * *

**Part One**

The daughter of Pluto spurred her horse across another hill – or rather, hung on to the reins tightly as Arion galloped up the steep slope as if it was mere flat ground. Over the years, Hazel Levesque had ridden her immortal horse countless times in supersonic speeds, but she didn't think she'd over get used to the experience. It was exhilarating to drive him in speeds that no human eye could follow. She had ridden rollercoaster rides, fallen hundred meters to earth, and faced all sorts of insane demigod adventures, but none of them could beat an evening gallop with her horse.

She let him pick the speed and path, knowing that she had only two or three hours at most to enjoy the run. Going at this speed, they would be in Wichita in no time.

She had other things to ponder over. The reason for the gallop in this ungodly hour for a ride, the messenger, the message, the sender, the past, the present, the future, her friends, her home, the responsibilities, the preparations, the looming disaster in the future…

But where was she supposed to start thinking?

The letter?

Or the sender?

Or the message?

"_Dear Grandma Kitty,"_ the letter had said. "_If you're reading this, then you would know that I'm alive. (Look at the date. If everything goes okay with Peter, you should receive this in two or three days.)"_

That was it. Straight out of the blue – '_Dear Granma Kitty, I'm alive.'_

Forget ten years of pain and sorrow, ten years of trying to accept the fact that he was dead, that he was gone and not coming back, that waiting wouldn't bring him back. Ten years of grief cancelled out in five simple words.

It took every ounce of her will power to not send an iris message to her protégée and scream that he was back. But she couldn't. She had to know his reason first.

Still running, she smiled to herself in the darkness. Every time she had finally forced herself into accepting the truth and moving on, the missing Valdez would pop back into her life. Maybe it was a part of their Valdez-ness. Once was chance, twice was coincidence. She had to wait only one more time to ascertain the conspiracy.

But why? Why had he disappeared from their friends for a decade without a trace? Why had he run away from _her?_ It had been absolute pain for Hazel to lose one of her closest friends, but when she looked at her protégée, her own pain seemed minute in contrast. Why had he chosen to run away from his best friend, the woman who had been by his side throughout that long quest, only to leave her at the mercy of her own crumbling mind and friends? Hazel watched in pain as _she_ fell apart over the years, slowly losing or giving up hope, turning into a broken wraith, a particle of what used to be a strong, powerful and beautiful young girl. She thought that her own grief would never be gone, but when she saw _her_ suffering …

In neither of her lives she had seen so much love or so much pain.

A certain son of Hephaestus would have a lot to explain.

And apologize.

But he _had_ apologized in the letter. "_I know that you'll probably want to strangle me, Haze. And I won't stop you, because I probably deserve that. But can I just say, that I didn't choose this to happen? You know what we were facing, or at least had an idea of it - even though I never got to explain it all. I never wanted this to happen. 'Sorry' doesn't cover it…but, I'm really sorry. Forgive me?"_

…like she could ever keep a grudge against him. She could never be angry with Sammy for more than a few minutes, even in play. Perhaps it was another trait of the Valdezes. She _couldn't_ be mad at the Dragon, she had already forgiven him. At least he was _alive. _

That kind of thing could make up for many wrongs.

Not that the letter came much as a surprise. She was almost expecting something similar to happen, with all that was happening recently. There were whispers of a coming war, one that reminded many people of the Private war. Some said it was terrible as the Giant war. None dared to give no attention to the warnings. Ella's random warnings became more and more frequent and disturbing, and there were small battles happening around the country already. The monsters seemed to rampage freely – their numbers increased more than ever.

Some people deduced that the increased numbers of the monsters was directly linked to the death of Percy Jackson. They probably had got one thing right.

But the greatest shock and warning came just a few days ago, when they received news that the Camp Half-Blood had allied with the _Oneiro._ For the legion as a whole, they had no outward grudge with the group, but those who lived through the Private war knew that _Oneiro_ working with the Greek camp was alarming. The current praetors were too young to know the full threat they posed, but Hazel, Frank, and few other senate members were able to warn them before they could infiltrate the legion as well. It was not easy, because many didn't want to 'turn against' the gods, and there were a few who downright defended them.

Those people blamed the _Esperanza_ for the losses of the Private war. They conveniently forgot that the _Esperanza_ took up weapons only to defend themselves against – for the want of a better word – the gods' minions. The _Esperanza_ was united by the Mother only to guard the Dragon. They never wanted to destroy anyone, or anything. But now that was what they were called – enemies and destroyers of the western civilization.

Hazel was usually quite patient, but this kind of unjust remarks made it hard to keep her usually placid nature. She had been longing for the return of the _Esperanza_, just so that their reputations could be corrected. With the _Oneiro's_ return, and the increased monster sightings and the battles – there could be only one reason for them all. The Catalyst behind it had moved out into the open again.

Leo Valdez, the Dragon, who was presumed to be dead – _was_ alive.

So the Mother had been right from the start.

The Mother's belief had been so strong, that Hazel had found doubting herself over the years. Nico had told her that Leo's soul wasn't found in the Underworld, but then, so wasn't Percy's. But he didn't elaborate on the answer – he seemed strangely reluctant to give any more information about where these heroes might be. Hazel had learnt to respect her brother's decisions, whatever they were – he never did anything without a reason.

Not that she was going to forgive Nico right away for losing touch with her and then suddenly dropping a bomb about his marriage. Okay, maybe he was too busy. Maybe his had too many press conferences and auditions and goodness knows what in the mortal world. And even more trouble keeping the monsters at bay in the demigod world. Still, at least a little heads up before the marriage invitation would have been nice. Not to mention that she still had no idea who her new half-sister-in-law was.

The letter and the wedding invitation came together.

So Nico knew that Leo was alive, and possibly his whereabouts as well.

Sneaky Ghost king.

Hazel briefly wondered if Nico would be at Wichita as well, and then dismissed the idea. He was most likely in Hades, acting as a deputy to their father. Nico di Angelo had a very level head when it came to administration. They had used to tease him that his administration qualities came from seventy years of playing Mythomagic.

Managing hoards of spirits was easy. They didn't scream. The only persistent problem was that they kept increasing.

But when it came to managing hoards of fangirls…

Hazel actually felt sorry for Claire. The daughter of Apollo seemed bummed about his less-than-warm welcome and maintained a blank-faced silence until their dinner conversation had moved away from the son of Hades.

Hazel herself had no idea why her brother had gone into showbiz.

Leon seemed to find it hard to keep a straight face and kept bursting into laughs, amused at his friend's discomfort. Peter was too distracted talking about their quest and sharing news and information to notice his two friends' performance.

Peter.

It had been many years since she had last seen Percy's young half brother, Peter Blofis. The boy had grown up so much since the last time she saw him – which made her suddenly feel old though she was still in her twenties. She had liked the Jackson-Blofis family since their first meeting. In her opinion, they were the perfect example of a demigod-mortal mix family. Percy was one of the few lucky demigods whose family understood what it meant to be a demigod, and patiently bore the risk the uneven hours, quests and the frequent near-death experiences.

The Jackson-Blofis apartment had been one of their safe-houses in times of trouble, though they had tried as much as possible to keep from putting in harm's way. But it hadn't stopped Percy from getting lost barely three years after the end of the Private War. It hadn't saved his young mortal half brother from getting dragged into their world with a price on his head.

Peter was an endearing child – nervously polite and well-mannered, so unlike his bold and snarky big brother. He showed the unmistakable signs of a newcomer to their world, even though he was growing into it fast. He was politely interested in everything around the Camp, from the purple Lares to the begging fauns, and seemed to fight with his upbringing when he was trying not to stare at the training legionnaires in the Fields of Mars. Any mortal would have found it hard not to stare when myths and legends were unfolding right in front of their eyes.

But Hazel was watching him from outside the old Temple of Neptune – and she saw something that reminded her sharply of her first impressions of Percy. Not an aura so powerful as Percy's was – she had actually mistaken him for a god in disguise when she first saw him – but Peter had something so…daring. He had his own version of bravery. Thirteen years of Sally and Paul's careful pruning shadowed it, but he couldn't pass as just a mortal anymore. He would face trouble – this quest was only the beginning. But he would survive, perhaps better than a demigod could.

Hazel hoped that she would get to meet him again soon.

Just then, she had no idea how soon her wish would be fulfilled.

She hadn't felt the time passing, and she hardly felt the ride at all until he started slowing down. Arion was truly one of a kind.

They had come to Kansas.

Which brought her back to the letter and the reason that she was taking this lonely ride.

Was it a pattern of life that when you lose one, you'd meet another?

Leo Valdez had returned, just after Frank Zhang was pronounced MIA by the Praetors. A week of search had produced no results whatsoever. There was no message, no one had seen him leave. His quarters in New Rome were undisturbed. There was no sign of struggle. Everything was perfectly fine except for the fact it was completely empty.

She had been at her wits' end wondering where he was when the letter came. The senate did not appoint a search team to look for the ex-centurion, even though his service should have given him at least that much. But no, certain people had the nerve to suggest that legion's resources should not be wasted upon searching for AWOL demigods. As if Frank, _Frank Zhang, _would run away from camp the day before her birthday.

"_PS: I might have some information about where he is. There might still be hope for him. Come soon. - LV"_

The post script didn't specify who 'he' was, but Hazel didn't need it. The senate might be able to stop a search party, but they couldn't stop her from visiting an old friend on her own expenses.

And there was another thing….

_No, _she told herself sharply. _Not thinking about it. You're only hurting yourself. _

Pushing out that thought, she spurred her horse on the last lap.

* * *

_A/N: My obsession with The Jackson Legacy is going to be lifelong. It's hard not to fall in love with the story. Harder yet to stop plot bunnies hopping in at random points and claiming my will. Thank gods the author is very tolerant of my infatuation... ;3;_

_As such, this story might be a bit confusing if you haven't read TJL, but PEOPLE! Are you kidding me?! Why are you here if you haven't read it?! READ IT. NOW. Trust me, you won't be disappointed. ;D _

_As always, million thanks and hugs to my partner-in-crime, notyourleo. You're my life and soul. ;3; Another million thanks to you, reader. You're our treasure chest filled with shining goodies. We love you! We sail the Seven Seas facing dangers unknown, only for you._

_Now, how about that review button in your pocketses, my preciousss?_


	2. Part Two

**Part Two**

* * *

Hazel pulled the reins and made them stop on top of a hill for a moment.

The plain below them was covered in many lights between the darkness. They were too high up to see anything more than vague outlines of the buildings, but there was something curious about the air. It felt like she was looking down at New Rome or the Camp Half-Blood – only places that were free of the monsters. In the mortal world, where there were monsters, there was a near-constant feel of sense of danger, of fear. She didn't have powers over the dead like her brother, but she _could_ sense the aura of death. The absence of that almost overpowering aura of monsters in the city beyond was the first thing she noted.

Somewhere far away, nine chimes echoed in the air. It was nine o'clock at night. Took less than three hours to get halfway across the country; Hazel smiled and patted the side of her horse.

Now, where was she going to find him here?

The letter didn't mention an address, with reason. Even though it had been quite secure in Peter's hands, they still couldn't risk such sensitive and important information falling into the hands of their enemies or monsters. With Peter's own quest being dangerous enough by itself, Leo probably had felt it prudent not to mention the address. The monsters had a weird nose for sensing that kind of information. Letting one know of a location was practically inviting them in.

Still, it wasn't convenient for her when she wasn't acquainted with the area.

"Hey," she patted the horse. "Can you sense him anywhere? Or barbeque? Tacos? Anything?"

He neighed indignantly; but even Arion seemed slightly baffled.

She reached out into the demigod senses, trying harder. Though the city was devoid of the monsters, it seemed to throb with some other kind of powerful aura.

A warm, terrible aura of _power_.

She didn't feel threatened, but she could imagine that one _could_ have, if that person had come with malignant intentions. It was deeper than the monsters', a feel of pure energy barely reigned in. There were things that even the monsters were scared of, and she could feel that this was one of them.

Names had power. Some names, some people had such strong, dominant auras. They didn't have to be essentially immortal. Hazel had met such people in her life, both mortal and immortal, and she had felt _this_ power before. Heck, she knew this aura. Suddenly she went ten years back in memories, and she was standing in the middle of a small room with six demigods. The room had also been pulsating with the same dangerous power, and she was part of it.

She smiled to herself and urged her steed to resume the ride.

Still she had no idea to find him. The aura was spread throughout the town, that it wasn't much of a guide. The roads were mostly deserted, probably because of the Christmas season or because it was still dangerously close to the Winter Solstice.

If someone thought that a lone woman riding a horse in the night through a strange town was weird or suspicious, there was none to question it.

They trotted up and down the roads, but there were no helpful signs or – gods forbid – burn marks showing the way to his house. She was almost going to give up and ask someone when she suddenly noticed a dog messing in a garbage can, standing on its hind legs.

There wasn't anything unusual about a dog messing in a garbage can at night, except that this dog was glowing.

_Glowing?_

Hazel didn't need to look twice to see that it was bronze.

An automaton!

The thought sent an excited shiver down her spine. An automation! YES!

It was all she could do not to run to the dog and hug it. It had been so long, SO long…

But she couldn't ask the dog for directions, could she?

There was no other human outdoors that she could ask. If there would be one person, or _being_ that would definitely know where the Dragon was, this automaton was definitely one such person.

"Ahem," she cleared her throat, looking at the automaton, trying not to feel too stupid. It looked up. Hazel could swear that it was thinking _"About time you got here."_

"Umm…you know where the Dragon lives?"

The dog barked something that sounded suspiciously like a snort. Translation: _Duh!_

"Can you lead me there?"

It swallowed a large bone (she decided not to wonder about how it was going to digest it) and turned and run up the road. Hazel urged Arion to follow him.

The automaton lead them through the town in a path that passed through many alleyways, and finally it opened to a road lit with streetlights. There was no one in sight, except for one man sleeping on the pavement...

The dog stopped, looked at the man, and yelped, darting towards him like an arrow. It took another five seconds for her to realize what she was seeing.

The man almost looked like he was sleeping, but he was curled in an unnatural way.

Five more seconds to recognize the person.

_"__LEO!"_

Hazel didn't know whether she jumped off the horse or fell, or if she ran or flew, all she knew was that she had fallen to her knees next to him in the next second. He seemed barely conscious. But when she touched his arm, he opened his eyes weakly and grinned in recognition.

"Hey, Haze."

The automaton barked nervously. It kept eyeing the long gash that ran down the left arm and trying to lick it, but trying to resist at the same time, displaying intelligence beyond a normal dog. The cloth was red and wet with fresh, warm blood. The cut was not very deep, but long, too long.

Yet as disturbed as she was from the wound, she couldn't stop staring at his face, trying to remember if it was exactly the same as she last remembered. The same mischievous twinkle and the crooked grin, the same unkempt curls, the same sun burnt cheeks that showed little of the ten years that had passed.

Tears started falling involuntarily, and she pulled him up and squeezed him in a hug, crying into his shirt. Relief at seeing him flooded through her, making her forget the time and place and everything else that matter to the rest of the world, but not to herself.

She was so glad to see him again. Her crazy, weird Leo Valdez. Her best friend, until he went and locked up himself in a place no one could reach. It hadn't stopped her. It was such a relief to see him alive again. Ten years, _whole ten years_ forced to believe that he was gone forever. Ten years of unhealed pain.

She clung to him crying her eyes out, and he patted her awkwardly with the good hand. "Hey there, Kitty. It's alright. Can I have some air?"

"Sorry…" she released him and scooted back, wiping her face in her sleeve and trying to stifle the sobs. "…I guess I forgot myself…but it's so good to see you again Leo! Do you have any idea of how much I missed you? Where were you for the past ten years? TEN years?! Oh, I'm going to _kill_ that brother of mine, _he knew that you were alive and lied to me! Di Angelo you are a dead man I swear!_" she cried out to the night air. The automaton yelped and back away.

"Hey, hey now…" Leo tried to laugh and get up, but accidentally put his weight on the wounded hand. The painful wince on his face brought her back from her own ravings.

"But you're hurt! How did you-"

"It's nothing, it's nothing! Don't worry," he said through gritted teeth, barely managing to hide the wince. She wasn't fooled.

"Right. _When_ are you going to stop downplaying the injuries, Valdez?" she shook her head, and pulled off the riding gloves. "Haven't changed one bit. You're half covered in blood, and I shouldn't _worry_. I can't imagine how you've been getting on the past few years alive. Not worry, indeed!"

"But I'm fine!" he insisted, waving the good hand. "It really is just a scratch."

"What happened?"

"Nothing much. Went to check something in the perimeter, news came that a manticore was getting in the city limits." He winced as she tore the sleeve open with a dagger from her belt. "Hey, I like this jacket!"

She waved her hand. "I'll mend it for you. Go on."

"Fine. Well, you know the usual. The manticore got barbequed. I got hit with a dart thingy. I don't know, it might have been poisoned."

She winced, and tried to get back to the measured voice of the nurse. It wasn't the first time she had a heavily wounded Valdez in her hands, who cared very little about his own safety. Mopping up the worst of the bleeding with the already useless jacket, she asked, "did you try to pull it out?"

He grinned sheepishly, hiding his pain. Leo's voice was strained, but he hadn't still lost the old joking self. She was used to him hiding the pain with a joke, as usual, and as she checked the wound, she found that she even missed those painful laughs. She had missed everything about him. The face, the voice, the grins…

If Hazel had missed her friend so much, how much would have _she_ missed him? Unlike to Hazel, Leo Valdez wasn't just a childhood friend to _her_.

But the questions could wait.

"Can we get inside so that you can…uhh…get this cleaned?"

He nodded, fished out a key from one of the many jacket pockets and gave it to her. The roller shutters door opened up with a light rattle into a dark workshop.

Despite his cheery voice earlier, Leo was still pale. When she offered her hand to prop up himself, he seemed to be reluctant at first for some reason, then sighed and let himself get pulled up. The lights flicked on when they entered, to reveal a busy workshop with a half-dismantled car and about a hundred boxes of mechanical tools Hazel had no idea about.

"You have a busy place, Leo," she commented, gingerly picking their way through the many tools on the ground, trying not to step on anything. The backdoor opened into another room which was already lit with lights, showing a very homey-looking apartment.

It was about the same size as the garage, and the décor told that it was a living room, though it felt warmer and friendlier than the standard version. It had that very lived-in feel, complete with everything strewn around.

"You live here?"

"Nothing like your grand marble homes, sorry," he said, dropping to a couch. "But yeah, I live here."

"Are you kidding? This place is great!" she smiled. "No one has to worry about breaking or messing something, and once you know what a chore it is to clean the carved marbles until they shine… No, I like this better. Where's the first-aid box, Mr. Flamingo?"

"Back in the garage. But please, don't trouble yourself." He sighed and slapped his forehead when she left to get it. Hazel went outside and relieved Arion of her bag and saddle, and let him loose with a pat. He would romp around to his heart's content, but always came back at her call, no matter how far he was. She closed the roller shutters again as she was coming back, letting the automaton inside. It curled up under the car.

"You heard of the alias?"

"Yes," she said, coming back with the first aid box and large bowl of water from the tiny kitchen in the corner. "Peter told me that Rachel gave it to you?"

"She did. The crazy Oracle," he shook his head. "How is Peter? Were they okay?"

"Scratched, wounded, burnt, shocked, but fine," she said, cutting away the bloodied shirt and sponging away the blood. "Pretty average for a demigod. Leon got claimed Demeter by the way, but this kid in our camp wouldn't stop going on about 'something more'. Also…Claire, isn't it? She twisted her ankle, but was fine by the time I left her. But Peter…"

"He's the brother of the Whale, don't forget that," Leo said. "Also the son of Paul Blofis. The boy's got a good nerve."

She grinned and nodded, and poured a few drops of nectar on the wound. It smoked for a while and then closed on its own, leaving nothing more than a long red scratch down where the skin mended. Hazel bandaged it for good measure and fed him some ambrosia from her bag. The color started to come back to his face slowly.

"They arrived in camp this evening with no monsters – while is a miracle - and delivered the letter and the flag. The praetors accepted the offer, by the way. Camp Jupiter will aid the Esperanza if it comes to that. And the Amazons too, from what Peter told me. But the senate meeting was long. Really long. There are still some people who don't believe us."

"Like, oh I don't know, augurs murdering teddy bears since they were invented?" he asked shrewdly. "What did it say this time?"

She shrugged. "I didn't bother to pay attention to him. You wouldn't _believe_ what some people say of the Esperanza, Leo. Some make it sound like… like we're terrorists or something. I mean, even after a decade, they're still not getting tired of spreading lies?"

"Tell me about it."

"You sound like you already know."

"Of course I do. I'm THE GREAT DRAGON! I see everything! I know everything!"

"I can bandage your mouth too, if you want."

"No thanks," he pretended to shudder and became serious again. "I have a feeling that this time's going to be even worse."

She looked at him, trying not to let the panic show. "What do you mean?"

What could possibly go worse than a hopeless battle against the majority of the gods that ended taking so many valuable lives _and_ losing almost everything and everyone they cared about?

He didn't answer, except frowning at the ceiling.

"Leo…?"

He forced a smile. "Eh, just ignore it. I'm just grumbling as usual. Sorry about this, by the way," indicating the arm. "You had to start working right away, Nurse Hazel. I'm being a very bad host. Now…why don't you take a wash and rest? You're a sight! Did you battle a monster on the way too or do you always look bloody bleedin' like that?"

"Very funny, Valdez."

Leo grinned again at her frown, and she laughed with him after ten seconds of trying to glare at him and utterly failing. "I'll get you a change of clothes. There are always supplies for wayward demigods who turn up here. There's a room and a dormitory upstairs, and you can sleep easy here. We'd better leave early tomorrow. Get some rest, Haze. I'll get your room ready. We can talk tomorrow."

Hazel looked down, twisting her fingers. She didn't want to go away yet, there were so many questions that she needed answers for. It was true that they both had better rest, but…

"Where are you going to sleep?" she inquired, looking around. There were few doors leading off the living room, and none of them looked like bedrooms. There were no staircases, either.

"Right here," he said, indicating the sofa.

Leo stood up and went to the corner. He wrapped his fingers around thin air and pulled down a ladder. "Come in, Wildcat."

He led the way to a neat little bedroom in the second floor, complete with bed, dressing table, and cupboard with both men's and women's clothing. Another door in the hall way opened to a bathroom, and he set the hot water going while she inspected around the room.

"Home sweet home," Leo said, returning. "Or room."

"Thanks."

"Give a shout if you need anything. I'll be downstairs. You want dinner?"

"No, I'm good."

"Try to get a good sleep."

"You too, Leo," she smiled.

An emotion she couldn't recognize passed through his face, and in the next moment he shrugged and laughed. "Sure, sure, whatever. See you soon, Hazel. G'night."

"Good night, Mr. Flamingo."

* * *

_A/N: Yeah, I know, it's a slow story. But it can't be hurried any more than it is, good people. It's a delicate matter of reuniting long-lost people. But I hope you would like the little moments they share. It can't always be clash-smash-and-burn, can it? They need time to slow down and breathe...specially before a storm._

_The next part will be one heck of talking. Here, have popcorn. We're going to go eavesdrop on people. _

_As always, a million thanks to notyourleo, for tolerating me and my procrastination. This chapter has been sitting on my files forever. Because reasons. BUT look! Chapter fifteen of TJL has dun-dun-DUNNN revelations (AND the added bonus of very smart badass action) and now I can go on with the next part. :3_

_Reviews? Pretty please? ;3;_


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